Give your used towels a new lease of life with a homemade remedy that will remove any unpleasant smells and mustiness. Cleaning fan Chantel Mila, more popularly known as Mama Mila, detailed some of her favourite bathroom hacks, including how to revive musty towels. 

Towels can go ‘musty’ when a build-up of mildew and bacteria begins to form, as they thrive in warm, moist environments. You can usually identify towels that have gone off by the damp or stale smell emanating from them. Mustiness can occur every time you use a towel, especially if they haven't been dried thoroughly.

When towels are used, you transfer dead skin cells, sweat, and body oils to it, providing food for bacteria and mildew.

If towels aren’t dried thoroughly and correctly, and are stored in warm and humid environments, it will provide the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and mould.

How to clean musty towels

To combat this, Chantel advised using a liberal amount of baking soda to do the job. Before placing the towels in the washing machine, cover them with baking soda, allowing it to cover all the material. 

Then wash the towels on their regular cycle. For more stubborn odours, it may be advisable to run a second washing cycle.

You should make sure that the towels are completely dry, before storing in a clean and dry place, away from any moisture.

Baking soda is a great homemade remedy to use as it acts as a neutralising agent. 

This means that baking soda helps to absorb any oils left on the towels which are contributing to the unwanted smells. Baking soda works to remove unwanted smells by neutralising the acidic compounds in the towels that cause the odours.

The odour particles are broken down by the baking soda, either making them less smelly, or getting rid of them altogether. This process works effectively with odours left lingering from the likes of smoke, sweat, and vomit.

Kathy Cohoon, the director of franchise operations of Two Maids, told Martha Stewart that baking soda can take up to 24 hours to absorb the odour. This hack can also work for other fabric surfaces as well. 

Kathy explained: “Depending on what types of odors you are trying to get rid of, protocol for using baking soda may change. For instance, on vacuumable surfaces like carpets, rugs, and mattresses, you can sprinkle baking soda and let sit for up to an hour then simply vacuum it up.

"For enclosed spaces like a refrigerator or closet, you can keep baking soda in a vented jar and allow to sit, refreshing the powder every month or so."